Blair, Herbert S., House
Also known as: Ben Anslow Advertising Agency
Why it's listed
Built in 1890 on South Lane Street in Bucyrus, Ohio, this two-story house is a local showcase of Queen Anne design. It has a rock-faced stone foundation, horizontal wood siding, a hip roof and projecting gabled bays on several sides. Windows use stained and leaded glass, and the gables carry decorative panels and shingles. Inside, carved wooden doors, a cherry staircase and fireplaces came from the Roehr Interior Wood Trim Company, a Bucyrus firm known well beyond the town. The house was the home of Herbert S. Blair, who made husking gloves, husking pins and other specialties and ran a shop on the public square. Later owners included a mail carrier and Robert Priebe, an early officer of the Swan Rubber Company. A shed and a 1960 concrete block garage stand on the lot. The building now houses an advertising agency, with an apartment upstairs. Its craftsmanship and detailing earned recognition as an excellent local example of its style.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the house as an excellent local example of Queen Anne architecture, with fine craftsmanship, decorative gables, stained glass windows and varied wall treatments. Its interior woodwork was produced by the nationally known Roehr Interior Wood Trim Company of Bucyrus. It is also noted as the home of Herbert S. Blair, a manufacturer of husking gloves and pins.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80002969, listed March 24, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 212 S. Lane St., Bucyrus |
|---|---|
| County | Crawford County |
| Listed | March 24, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002969 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and altered; the house is occupied and used commercially as an advertising agency office, with an apartment on the second floor. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.80714, -82.97108 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80002969.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137627088
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.